Former Board Chairman of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Osahen Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has strongly condemned false claims by former Volta River Authority (VRA) CEO, Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobbey.
Dr Wereko-Brobbey popularly referred to as ‘Tarzan’ had sought to link Afenyo-Markin to ECG’s past financial woes.
However, the former ECG Board Chairman who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Effutu and the Minority Leader in Parliament dismissed Dr. Wereko-Brobbey’s claims as ‘factually inaccurate’ and ‘misleading’.
He emphasised that the claims misrepresent the timeline of his leadership at the state power distributor.
“I was not the Chairman of the ECG Board in 2023, as Dr. Wereko-Brobbey suggested. I was appointed on 16th July 2024 and officially sworn in on 17th July 2024. My tenure lasted just about six months, ending in January 2025” Osahen Afenyo-Markin clarified.
He reiterated that any desperate attempt to associate him with ECG’s losses in 2023 or early 2024 is both unfounded and disingenuous.
The former ECG Board Chairman detailed several reform initiatives introduced under his leadership to improve the company’s operational efficiency and reduce losses.
These, he pointed out, included modernising the ECG’s metering infrastructure, with particular attention to expanding prepaid meter coverage and reducing revenue leakages.
“At my very first board meeting, I abolished ECG’s outdated procurement model and instituted a system where payments were made only after verified deliveries.
“This alone saved the company significant cost.
“Many of ECG’s meters had expired or were malfunctioning, contributing to inefficiencies. I prioritised fixing that,” Osahen Afenyo-Markin added.
He stressed that Independent Power Producers (IPPs) received record cumulative payments during his tenure, affirming his administration’s commitment to financial responsibility and systemic reform.
Osahen Afenyo-Markin rejected the idea that ECGs’ challenges should be met with higher tariffs or new levies, calling such approaches ‘short-sighted’ and counterproductive.
According to him, his approach has never been anchored in tariff increments but consistently advocating for cost-saving reforms, not new burdens on Ghanaians, citing his public opposition to the recent one Cedi Energy Sector Levy per litre of fuel.
“It is misguided to resort to frequent tariff hikes or new levies without fixing deep-rooted inefficiencies. Less than 30% of consumers pay for electricity consumed—the rest is lost to illegal connections, poor billing, and systemic lapses,” he stated.
Osahen Afenyo-Markin also took a swipe at the current NDC administration’s recent electricity tariff hikes—14.75% in May and an additional 2.45% in July—calling the combined 17.2% increase ‘unjustifiable without efficiency improvements.
“Tariffs must be justified by efficiency, not imposed to cover mismanagement,” he added.
While acknowledging the groundwork laid by previous ECG leadership particularly in digitising revenue systems and initiating the Loss Reduction Programme, Osahen emphasised that his short tenure focused on building upon those gains through structural reform.
“I welcome dissenting views, but they must be grounded in verifiable facts,” he said, addressing Dr. Wereko-Brobbey directly.
“If you possess evidence to support your claims, I challenge you to present it publicly.”
Osahen Afenyo-Markin reiterated his commitment to national dialogue and non-partisan solutions in resolving Ghana’s power sector challenges.
He argued that the way forward for ECG is through structural reform and not partisan blame games and stressed that he remain focused on delivering real value through better service and transparency.
